Kirk Cousins' struggles prove Falcons should already regret QB's massive contract
Atlanta Falcons fans are used to feeling like they can't catch a break, but Kirk Cousins' play is probably giving them a distinct sinking feeling.
Cousins was the answer to Atlanta's prayers, the franchise quarterback the team desperately needed to maximize an incredibly talented offensive roster featuring a plethora of pass catchers and a dynamic young running back in Bijan Robinson. His four-year, $180 million contract was a massive chunk of change, but in the moment, was seen as a necessary step to bring some stability to a position that was in dire need of it.
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But now? Now the Falcons have to feel like that contract has the potential to turn into an albatross around the club's neck going forward.
Cousins had been solid for the first portion of the season, showing flashes of brilliance in between looking like a player coming off a torn Achilles last season. In Weeks 8 and 9, the quarterback looked like he'd finally turned a corner, throwing for 489 yards and seven touchdowns in two games, while completing nearly 80 percent of his passes. And then the wheels came off.
Over his last three games, Cousins has looked flat out lost. He's thrown six interceptions and zero touchdowns in that span, and has looked utterly lost. This week's loss was particularly egregious; Cousins threw four interceptions in a 17-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It's not just that Cousins has struggled; it's how he's struggled that should have the team concerned. He's looked every bit the part of a 36-year-old quarterback coming off a surgery that would further hinder his mobility, and has often looked like he's playing on one leg. Even before this latest slump, outside of that two-game stretch, Cousins seldom looked the part of a franchise quarterback.
And he's not getting any younger. The issues that seem to be cropping up aren't going to vanish overnight. Cousins is as competitive as any player in the NFL, but the problem for quarterbacks is that when it goes, it goes quickly, and almost never comes back. And with $100 million guaranteed in the contract, it doesn't make the prospect of benching him for Michael Penix Jr. an appetizing one for the Falcons.
Maybe Cousins will rebound, will return to the kind of form he had in Weeks 8 and 9. But the likelier outcome is that even if he finds form, that form is much likelier to be the early season play than that two-game blip. Capable of brilliance, but not capable of sustaining it for more than a few plays.
While that's certainly an improvement over the Falcons' previous quarterback situation, it's not what they wanted from the new face of the franchise. And not enough to keep that contract from turning into a stone around their necks.
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